Displaced civilians were asleep when an Israeli air strike hit their school-turned-shelter in Gaza City early Monday, engulfing the building in flames.

Local health authorities said at least 31 Palestinians were burned to death, including 18 children and six women, with dozens more wounded in the strike that targeted the Fahmi al-Jirhawi School.

“The fire broke out as children and women were sleeping inside. Their bodies were burned and consumed by the flames,” said Fares Afaneh, Director of Ambulance and Emergency Services in northern Gaza, in a video statement.

“Children and women were screaming inside the burning classrooms. We couldn’t save them because of the fire,” he added.

“The scene was deeply distressing – its severity cannot be described.”

‘Burning mass grave’

Nawal Hassan, a Palestinian resident who lives across from the school, said she woke up to the terrifying sound of explosions, “as if the sky had fallen on them”.

“There were children screaming; their voices were coming from the burning classrooms, but the fire was bigger than all of us,” she said, pointing to the school with trembling hands.

Screaming from her balcony, Nawal tried to alert neighbours and call for ambulances and civil defence teams.

“I saw with my own eyes small bodies burning and others moving within the blazes. Then all went still. We couldn’t do anything,” she said.

“We all screamed, but the fire was faster than our voices. The school has become a burning mass grave. How are they going to convince us that wasn’t a war crime?”

Terrifying scenes

Youssef Al-Kaseeh, a young man who survived the strike, said the explosion occurred as Israeli missiles hit the school while they slept.

“In seconds, the fire consumed everything,” he said.

Youssef and other young men tried to break the iron window bars from outside, but failed due to the lack of tools and the overwhelming heat.

After hours of effort, civil defence teams managed to extinguish the fire.

“We tried to save what could be saved. But the scene was harsh and terrifying. The remains of the burned corpses were stuck to the walls and floors.”

Abu Ibrahim, another survivor in his fifties, sat amongst the smoke and blackened walls, his eyes filled with fury.

“We are the rightful owners. What have we done to deserve our women and children being burned to death? We didn’t steal land, we didn’t evict anyone. This is our land, and we will not leave it – even if they kill us all,” he said.

Israeli carnage

Israel has killed nearly 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, so far in the blockaded enclave.

It practically displaced all of the population, while also reducing most of besieged Gaza to ruins.

Tel Aviv also blocked food, water, medicine and other desperately needed humanitarian aid from entering, leaving Palestinians to starve to death.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.